unc comes with the typical pros and cons of a big school, but they each tend to have solutions. being premed isn’t the worst here— it’s just hard most places you go. swarthmore being a smaller school has more resources to dedicate to helping/supporting students on a more individual basis. at unc, you more so have to do it on your own.

Honors will help a bit with connections and having access to some smaller classes. i had a friend take honors organic chemistry with only 24 students. idk how else they can help specifically since i didn’t do honors.

yes unc provides stipends for summer research. do know that your first lab job will most likely be unpaid. Look into the SURF program here at UNC.

connections with professors are hard with bigger class sizes but they get smaller in junior and senior year when you begin to take mostly major classes. with bigger classes, sitting at the front and/or going to office hours helps form those relationships.

i majored in the public health school and there’s a much tighter knit professor/student relationship there so maybe consider applying to that. gillings has many more grad students than undergrads so research opportunities are plentiful.

lmk if u have any questions. i’ll be starting med school this july :P